Help:Searching
- Help:Searching
This page provides a comprehensive guide to searching within a MediaWiki-based wiki, like this one. Effective searching is crucial for quickly locating the information you need. This guide will cover the basic search functionality, advanced search options, search syntax, troubleshooting common issues, and tips for refining your searches.
Basic Searching
The most straightforward way to find information is using the search box, typically located at the top-right corner of every page. Simply type in your keyword(s) and press Enter or click the magnifying glass icon. The wiki will then display a list of pages that contain those keywords.
The search results will typically be ranked by relevance. Relevance is determined by a complex algorithm that considers factors such as:
- **Keyword Frequency:** How often the keyword appears on the page.
- **Keyword Proximity:** How close the keywords are to each other on the page.
- **Keyword Location:** Whether the keyword appears in the page title, headings, or body text. Pages where the keyword appears in the title are usually ranked higher.
- **Link Structure:** Pages that are linked to by many other pages are often considered more important and may be ranked higher. See Help:Linking for more information.
The basic search is case-insensitive, meaning that "Wiki", "wiki", and "WIKI" will all return the same results. It also generally ignores common words (called "stop words") like "a", "the", "is", and "in". This is to improve search performance and focus on more meaningful terms.
Advanced Searching
For more precise searches, MediaWiki offers advanced search capabilities. To access the advanced search form, click the "Advanced search" link (or a similarly worded link) typically located near the basic search box. The advanced search form allows you to specify a variety of criteria, including:
- **Search Namespace:** You can limit your search to specific namespaces. Namespaces are used to categorize pages. Common namespaces include:
* `Main`: The main article namespace. * `Help`: Pages providing help and documentation. You are currently viewing a page in the Help namespace. * `User`: User pages. * `Talk`: Discussion pages associated with articles and other pages. * `File`: Pages describing media files (images, videos, etc.). * `Category`: Category pages. See Help:Categories for more information.
- **What to Search:** You can choose to search the page content, the page title, or both.
- **Search for:** This allows you to specify the keywords you are looking for.
- **Must contain:** Pages *must* contain all of the specified keywords. This is equivalent to using the "AND" operator.
- **Must not contain:** Pages *must not* contain the specified keywords. This is equivalent to using the "NOT" operator.
- **Search History Limit:** You can limit the search to pages modified within a certain timeframe (e.g., the last 7 days, the last 30 days).
- **Case Sensitivity:** You can choose to make the search case-sensitive.
Search Syntax
MediaWiki's search engine supports a specific syntax that allows you to perform more complex searches. Here are some of the most useful operators:
- **AND:** Requires both keywords to be present in the results. (e.g., `trading AND strategy`) – typically the default behavior.
- **OR:** Requires at least one of the keywords to be present in the results. (e.g., `trading OR investing`)
- **NOT:** Excludes pages containing the specified keyword. (e.g., `trading NOT forex`)
- **"" (Double Quotes):** Searches for an exact phrase. (e.g., `"moving average"`)
- **\*** (Wildcard): Matches any characters. Use with caution, as it can significantly slow down the search. (e.g., `trend*`)
- **+ (Plus Sign):** Requires the following keyword to be present. (e.g., `trading +signals`) - often redundant as it's the default.
- **- (Minus Sign):** Excludes the following keyword. (e.g., `trading -forex`) - same as NOT.
- **() (Parentheses):** Groups keywords together to control the order of operations. (e.g., `(trading OR investing) AND signals`)
Combining these operators allows for very specific searches. For example:
- `"candlestick pattern" AND (bullish OR bearish) NOT day trading` – This will find pages that contain the exact phrase "candlestick pattern", and also contain either "bullish" or "bearish", but *not* contain the phrase "day trading".
Understanding Search Results
The search results page displays a list of pages that match your search criteria. Each result typically includes:
- **Page Title:** A link to the page.
- **Excerpt:** A snippet of text from the page that contains your keywords, providing context.
- **Namespace:** The namespace of the page.
- **Last Modified:** The date and time the page was last modified.
Clicking on the page title will take you to that page. The keywords you searched for are usually highlighted within the excerpt to help you quickly identify the relevant information.
Troubleshooting Search Issues
- **No Results:** If your search returns no results, try the following:
* **Check your spelling:** Even a minor typo can prevent the search engine from finding relevant pages. * **Use broader keywords:** If your keywords are too specific, try using more general terms. * **Remove unnecessary keywords:** Simplify your search query. * **Try different keywords:** Consider alternative terms that might be used to describe the same concept. * **Check the namespace:** Ensure you are searching in the correct namespace.
- **Too Many Results:** If your search returns too many results, try the following:
* **Use more specific keywords:** Narrow your search query. * **Use the "Must contain" field in the advanced search:** Require multiple keywords to be present. * **Use the "Must not contain" field in the advanced search:** Exclude irrelevant pages. * **Use exact phrases (double quotes):** Search for a specific phrase rather than individual keywords.
- **Irrelevant Results:** If your search returns irrelevant results, try the following:
* **Use the "Must not contain" field in the advanced search:** Exclude pages containing irrelevant keywords. * **Refine your keywords:** Choose keywords that are more closely related to your topic. * **Consider the context of the keywords:** Are there multiple meanings of the keywords you are using?
Tips for Effective Searching
- **Start Simple:** Begin with a simple search query and gradually add more keywords and operators as needed.
- **Use Specific Keywords:** The more specific your keywords, the more relevant your results will be.
- **Think Synonyms:** Consider alternative terms that might be used to describe the same concept. For example, if you're looking for information about "price action", also try searching for "chart patterns" or "technical analysis".
- **Utilize the Advanced Search:** The advanced search form provides powerful tools for refining your searches.
- **Explore Related Pages:** Once you find a relevant page, check the links at the bottom of the page ("Related pages") or in the sidebar ("Navigation") to find other potentially useful resources.
- **Use Categories:** Browse Help:Categories to find pages categorized under relevant topics.
- **Check the Wiki's Index:** Some wikis have an index page that provides a comprehensive list of topics and links.
- **Learn the Wiki's Conventions:** Different wikis may have different search conventions. Check the wiki's help pages for specific information.
Advanced Concepts & Related Topics
For traders and investors, understanding different analytical tools and concepts is crucial. Here are some related topics you might search for within the wiki:
- **Technical Analysis:** Exploring chart patterns, indicators, and price action. ([1](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/technicalanalysis.asp))
- **Fundamental Analysis:** Assessing the intrinsic value of an asset. ([2](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fundamentalanalysis.asp))
- **Risk Management:** Techniques for minimizing potential losses. ([3](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/riskmanagement.asp))
- **Trading Psychology:** Understanding the emotional factors that influence trading decisions. ([4](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/trading-psychology.asp))
- **Candlestick Patterns:** Recognizing formations that signal potential price movements. ([5](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/candlestick.asp))
- **Moving Averages:** Smoothing price data to identify trends. ([6](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/movingaverage.asp))
- **Relative Strength Index (RSI):** Measuring the magnitude of recent price changes to evaluate overbought or oversold conditions. ([7](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/rsi.asp))
- **MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence):** A trend-following momentum indicator. ([8](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/macd.asp))
- **Bollinger Bands:** Volatility bands plotted above and below a moving average. ([9](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bollingerbands.asp))
- **Fibonacci Retracement:** Identifying potential support and resistance levels. ([10](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fibonacciretracement.asp))
- **Elliott Wave Theory:** Analyzing price patterns based on recurring wave structures. ([11](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/elliottwavetheory.asp))
- **Trend Lines:** Identifying the direction of a trend. ([12](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/trendline.asp))
- **Support and Resistance Levels:** Price levels where the price tends to find support or resistance. ([13](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/supportandresistance.asp))
- **Chart Patterns:** Recognizing recurring formations that suggest future price movements (e.g., head and shoulders, double top, double bottom). ([14](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/chartpattern.asp))
- **Volume Analysis:** Analyzing trading volume to confirm trends and identify potential reversals. ([15](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/volume.asp))
- **Ichimoku Cloud:** A comprehensive technical indicator that provides support and resistance levels, trend direction, and momentum signals. ([16](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/ichimoku-cloud.asp))
- **Parabolic SAR:** A trailing stop and reversal indicator. ([17](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/parabolicsar.asp))
- **Average True Range (ATR):** A measure of market volatility. ([18](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/atr.asp))
- **Stochastic Oscillator:** A momentum indicator that compares a security's closing price to its price range over a given period. ([19](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/stochasticoscillator.asp))
- **Pivot Points:** Calculating potential support and resistance levels based on the previous day's price action. ([20](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/pivotpoints.asp))
- **Donchian Channels:** Volatility channels showing the highest high and lowest low over a specified period. ([21](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/donchianchannel.asp))
- **Heikin Ashi:** A type of candlestick chart that averages price data to smooth out noise. ([22](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/heikinashi.asp))
- **Harmonic Patterns:** Geometric price patterns based on Fibonacci ratios. ([23](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/harmonic-patterns.asp))
- **Gap Analysis:** Identifying price gaps to understand market sentiment. ([24](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gap.asp))
- **Market Sentiment:** The overall attitude of investors toward a particular security or market. ([25](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marketsentiment.asp))
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